Interview
by Whisper's Song
Summary: I sold my company so I could come here and win you back" She and him had it all until one night. Now in one night, three years later, he's here to admit his mistake and stop her from marrying the wrong man. HGDM pairing.
1. 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM: That's News to Me

**A/N:** Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything of the Harry Potter brand

* * *

I could distinctly hear a muffled alarm coming from some direction as I lifted my head off the stack of papers that was on my desk. Groaning, I peeled off the paper that had become stuck on my face as I had slept and grabbed the object where the alarm was coming from. The Hello Kitty design on my cell phone was easily seen through my sleepy eyes. I turned off the alarm I had set the night before just in case I fell asleep at the office once again. Yawning, I grabbed my wand to conjure a cup of strong coffee as another work day began. After an inspection of my attire, I once again used my wand to conjure a new outfit and to put the files on my desk back in order. The names on the tabs stared back at me in bold print. All these people were depending on me to win their case in court for them. Around half of the files were simple civil cases, usual cases like wand theft or property damage, I would give to my lower level employees and they would be settled quickly. The others, the more serious and complicated like misuse of magic and people forced to committ crimes under magic influence of someone's hand. I would sort out those in a couple hours to the other partners of the firm. I reached my arms up to stretch all the knots out as Ginny burst into the door. She took one look at me and asked,

"You didn't fall asleep in your office again did you?" I rolled my eyes at her.

"It was an accident, I was tying up the Lesley case, but I got it done so we can file it away today." I said accomplished. Ginny looked at me and took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of my desk. She paused for a second and it sparked my curiousity. This was unlike Ginny. Usually she would burst into my office and dominate the conversation.

"What is it Ginny?" I asked, starting to get a little worried.

"The Temp agency sent over the person to take over for Holly while she's on maternity leave." I felt a wave of relief come over me. It wasn't anything serious about Ginny, she was just anxious because the last temp that had entered the firm had rubbed me the wrong way.

"Oh I'm sure they aren't like Paul, the old temp." I assured her but Ginny still looked worried. "I'm not getting it Ginny."

"Hermione, the temp is Draco." My seemed to stop all thoughts as I processed what she had said. I started to laugh in disbelief.

"But he's not a temp, he's got his own brand, remember?" I pointed out, trying to assure myself that Ginny had mistaken the new temp for Draco by accident.

"It was announced today," she took a newspaper I hadn't seen her carry in and placed it on my desk with the bold headline, "he sold his share of the business, made a disgusting sum of money actually. He quit his business." My eyes were too busy scanning over the picture of Draco. The last time I had laid my eyes on a full picture of him was over three years ago when they littered the Malfoy mansion which we shared at the time. When I moved out I moved all of our pictures into a box that I hadn't opened since. I lost my breath, he was still as beautiful as I had locked in my mind. I pushed the paper away.

"You have to be mistaken, he would never be a temp. He wouldn't especially for a secretary position like Holly's." I was trying to rationalize the situation. "A lot of people have blonde hair and blue eyes and it's early."

"Go see him for yourself, he's at Holly's desk right now." I felt my stomach drop. I tried to control my breathing.

"Ginny, it can't be him. It's been over three years."

"Hermione, breathe, don't have a panic attack. You can see him when you're ready." She hugged me tight.

"Can I just hide out here until the day is over?"

"You can until lunch." she pointed out, when I looked puzzled she continued, "Ron is coming by then to take you out to lunch." Damn, I hadn't remembered that. I tried to put on a brave face for Ginny because I knew she couldn't just hide out in my office with me all day.

"I think I can handle that. I mean Draco and I are over. Have been for a long time now. If I see him then great we can be civil, if I don't see him well then I'll catch him later." It sounded very convincing and it got Ginny out of my office but I knew it was complete crap. When Ginny had closed the door behind her my head fell into my hands with a sigh.

He was back. After over three years. He was back.

My desk was littered with evidence of what had happened because of that chilly late night in February. A picture of me being made partner because I put every ounce of my sadness in the break up into work force power. People had told me once I got serious with Draco that I had gotten soft, and I wanted to prove them wrong.

A picture of Ron and I as we celebrated our one year anniversary. There were more licenses to practice various kinds of magic law hung all over my office. The file cabinet to my right was filled with cases I had used at the time to fill my heart with the grateful faces of the cilents who had won their case instead of sorrow. My life was stable with a great respected job with plenty of income and a long term relationship. I had survived Draco's world. With my eyes watching the clock I tried to convince myself I was in fact a strong woman who could handle an encounter with her ex boyfriend, not a scared kitten.

* * *

"Ms. Granger, your lunch date is here." My mind went lightheaded as I heard Draco's voice comeover and announce it was do or die time. His voice was still as I remembered it, maybe a little deeper. I instantly noticed he said "lunch date" which meant he had caught onto the fact Ron and I were together. He deplored Ron and it was he biggest fear I would leave him for Ron, which he always felt was what my friends and family pressured me to do. Ron was fun, he was lovely really but it was the time in our relationship where we would get married or not. Mrs. Weasley would say something, for example, last month she told me that this summer would be perfect for a wedding. I knew she was hinting that there was pressure on Ron and I about where we were going. Honestly I didn't know if I could marry him. It's incredibly hard to go from the love of your love, someone you thought you would marry to the person _after_ that. The thought of marriage hadn't crossed my mind after the break up and I didn't plan on considering it for a good long while. I smoothed my jacket even though I knew I had pressed it to crisp edges the week before. Slowly I turned my doorknob and quietly walked the path to where the reception area of the floor was.

Then there he was.

He was just sitting at Holly's desk, twirling a pencil, and I couldn't move. There he was only a few feet away from me, I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. His blonde hair was still the same, short in the back with longer bangs in the front. The suit he wore was clearly only high quality, which didn't surprise me at all. It was as if he were still the same from all the photos I had boxed up back then. I felt a shove to move me from my back and I turned to see Ginny giving me support. I gave her a shakey smile and began to put one foot in front of the other. When I passed him, I could tell he gave me a double take from the corner of my eye. I resolved to make it to Ron. Ron seemed so clearly not Draco with his blazing red hair, still in a boyish cut and his position with Fred and George's store.

"Hey Mya" Ron said as he kissed my cheek. I could feel Draco's eyes on my back as I closed my eyes to receive it. Thankfully Ron couldn't see Draco's desk from where he was but Draco saw everything, that was just his style.

"Hey, where are we having lunch?" I said walking toward the door.

"What's the rush?" he laughed, amused at my nervousness.

"I'm just really starving, we got five new criminal cases." I lied, practically pulling him to the door. Instead of complying, Ron took my hands in his and pulled me toward the front of the office. Confused, I tried to pull away.

"Ron, what are you doing?" He only smiled and pulled me until I was apparently where he wanted. With his hands in mine still he began to talk, loudly enough so that the other workers could clearly hear me. I saw Ginny's eyes freeze and widen.

"Hermione, we have known each other for a really long time. I've loved you the moment I saw you and I never thought in a million years you would feel the same. It was here that you met me for a lunch after that jerk broke up with you. Since then it has been a wonderful year and a month. I can't imagine my life without you." It was then I realized Ginny's expression because I knew Ron was proposing to me. "Hermione Granger, I love you." He got down on one knee and opened a ring box with a simple gold band with a tiny diamond on it. "Will you do the honor of being my wife?" I felt the breath get knocked out of my body. I stumbled back a couple steps and Ron reached out and caught me. The eyes of the others in the office were on my response. Had this been any other day about a month ago, I might've accepted. But the fact that the pressure on me to marry Ron was so great that I considered just breaking it off with Ron and the new addition of Draco didn't help either. I didn't want to embaress him in public so I whispered to him.

"Let me think about it." He looked sad but nodded as I hadn't exactly said no. He kissed me on the cheek again and put the ring back in his pocket. The office was silent but then continued working as if they had heard nothing at all. As I walked to the coat rack, I caught Draco's eyes, still piercing as ever. He looked at me with hurt but also with a sense of determination. Without anymore fanfair, Ron and I went out to lunch.

* * *

"My God Hermione, I promise I didn't know anything about that in advance." Ginny promised me later when she was leaving the office. I had forbidden anyone to come near my office for the rest of the day unless it was an emergency. Lunch had been awkward but it was at the same time still a typical lunch for Ron and I. We had left the lunch still in our relationship.

"It's alright. I told him I would think about it."

"If you have to think about it, then it's a no." Ginny pointed out and I gave her a look. "Okay, okay, ignore the smart person."

"When Draco is gone, then I'll give Ron answer. I don't want to tell Ron no just because I get caught up in some distorted reality of Draco sweeping me off my feet and then have it not be true." Ginny nodded.

"If that's what you think is best."

"Make sure he isn't too crushed?"

"Will do." Ginny tapped my desk. "Don't fall asleep here again okay? Go home and sleep."

"I promise I won't fall asleep here." Ginny gave me a supportive smile.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you." I responded and then looked at the pile of folders in front of me. I could do one. One wouldn't hurt me and it would require research which I had loved since I could remember. There was something about getting a thick book and conquering it that was thrilling and it would take my mind off what had happened. While I in the middle of reading the second book of research, I heard a knock at the door. My head shifted to the side and I couldn't imagine who would still be there.

"Come in." I said, reaching for my wand under the table just in case.

"Hey." Draco greeted me and now the moment I had tried to avoid was happening. He entered my office and approached the front of my desk. He walk still was the same and I had to snap myself out of this crush land.

"Hey." I said, a little breathless with being able to see him completely for the first time, not just the back of his head. "What are you still doing here?"

"I overheard Ginny saying you still fell asleep at the office so I figured I would make sure you didn't." The memories came back of Draco taking my sleeping body home so I could sleep well and him staying with me at the office all night when he had an early meeting the next morning.

"You don't have to do that." I pointed out. "I can take care of myself."

"I know you can." he paused. "But do you think he can?" I knew he was referring to Ron.

"I know you don't like Ron being my boyfriend but you had three years to fix things."

"How do you feel when he kisses you?" I was taken aback.

"Excuse me?"

"How do you feel when he kisses you? Does it feel like this?" and then he leaned from his easy access position from the front of the desk and kissed me. I let myself get lost for a moment, kissing him back. "See, just as I thought."

"You had three years, why pick now to come back?" I asked conflicted because I knew that something like this would happen with him being here.

"If you promise to say no to Weasel-" I interrupted him.

"I can't promise that. He's been there for me and you just up and left me one night because of a tiny fight."

"If you let me plead my case, will you promise to keep an open mind and possibly say no to that boy?" I looked at Draco's eyes, they seemed honest enough. There was so much history in those eyes, I felt my resolve slip.

"Okay."


	2. 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM: Tell Me the Story

**A/N:** Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything of the Harry Potter brand.

* * *

"What do you want to talk about?" The pencil in my hand was itching to be chewed on in my nervous state. Still, I wanted to look confident and collected in front of him. "How Ron didn't beat you up when you came into the building?" I joked.

"I used a charm to disguise my appearance. I figured the Weasel wouldn't be too happy to see me." he explained. I nodded, impressed.

"You were always really good at those."

"Remember I disguised us to get into that opera on your birthday? The photographers didn't have a clue." He liked the memory and so did I, it was one of the best birthday persents ever. At the same time it was bittersweet because he was bringing up the past. The past terrified me because the past was just that, the past. But more so because with Draco, I wanted to talk about the past. I wanted it to be the past.

"What do you really want to talk about?"

"The past three years would be a good start, I suppose. How have you been?" he said after a pause, trying a smile. "From the papers you've looked well." I had to chuckle about the papers. They loved to track mine, Draco's, Ron's, and Harry's movements in school with special editions on speculations of what we were doing but they were in for a surprise once graduation came around. My job in magical law eventually became boring to them and with my long stable relationship to Draco at the time, I wasn't newsworthy anymore. Harry, on purpose, avoided the spotlight and chose a job where he was constantly on the move. Predictable Ron went into the family business and Draco went into the brand business where he worked a typical coporate job. When none of us went for the fame route, the papers started to publish less stories about us but when they were there, they were, for the first time in our lives, true. Carefully I watched for any sign that Draco would speak first. I hadn't planned on being the first one to speak in the conversation but I accepted the role anyway after a few moments.

"Yeah, after you kicked me out I cried my eyes out for the longest time." he winced when I stated that and I knew he hated to see me cry. When I did he would hold me and tell the funniest jokes so I would stop. No one had been able to be that good at getting me to stop crying since our break up. "Then I pulled myself together and remembered I was Hermione Granger, top student of Hogwarts, a smart woman. I had survived so much as it was, I could pull through this blow. So then I poured the part of my heart I had given to you into every court case I had. I won every single one of them so I was promoted to partner after two years. About a year ago I started to date Ron seriously. Harry and Ginny got married a year and a half ago at the Burrow. Harry travels around the country doing goodness knows what. " I laughed. "Ginny is a partner here but I've got a bit more power than her. She's lost a couple important cases but she's smart, she'll make it up." A silence fell over us as I finished my abridged verison of the past three years. I wanted to tell him how I had cried my eyes out to Ginny for a month straight. I wanted to tell him how I was surprised by that night when earlier that day I had found a ring box in the bedside table. I wanted to tell him how Ron wasn't _him_ and I wanted to tell him that I was only acting like I was perfectly fine when I wanted to run away with him.

"You've written a couple books." he noted and I was taken aback. "Silver Jane" had written several novels concerning a young adult witch and her adventures solving mysteries at a magical school. My publisher didn't even know my real name, just an owl to communicate from. The only problem was I had started the novels when I was still living with Draco and I thought we would still be when the novels were published so I thought the name would be a cute surprise. It was his favorite color and my middle name together, but we broke up before the books' success. Each day every one of the books had come out they hit number one on the best seller lists. "Think about your pen name. I would know it a mile away."

"We broke up before I could tell you." I explained. "I do the books in my spare time or between cases. I'm on contract to do another series after I finish the final book of the Tower Mystery series and that's due out next month. I submit the final approval of the manuscript in a couple weeks." I paused, feeling like he had already done his research on me. At the same time I hate he had done that because it made me think he could still have real feelings for me since he had put forth the effort. I was much more interested in what he had done though. "What have you done?" He seemed to collect his thoughts together and then began to speak.

"After we broke up I continued to work on the Brand, we bought up a couple more stores which did well. I kept convincing myself that what I had done was right and drank myself for a year and a half, while throwing myself back into my work like you did. I still to this day don't know how I didn't go bankrupt with that habit. Cleaned myself up and I had a couple girlfriends," I knew at least that part all too well because I had stooped to new lows of scanning gossip magazines for any trace of him when I was desperate. For the most part he had dated Pansy which didn't surprise me. There were even pictures of him looking at rings with her but apparently nothing had come to pass. "but they didn't work out. Spent the rest of the time pulling myself back together and informed the Brand I would be leaving. I had made more than enough money to live on. Then I decided to try and gather the courage to get you back." He said the last part quietly. He wanted me back. Did he really? Or because I wasn't available anymore? He always had courage. When no one believed in Draco's business savvy, he had the courage to keep on going and he proved everyone wrong. We sat there staring at each other when we had finished because there were so many things we wanted to say but at the same time I wanted to yell at him, to hit him, to make him feel what I had gone through. My eyes traced his arms which had held me so safely and had jokingly used me as an armrest. He still wore the watch I gave him for a birthday. Our eyes met when he caught me staring at the watch.

"I gave you that clip." his voice snapped me back to reality.

"Pardon me?" I said, reaching up to touch the clip fixed in my hair. I removed the clip and I felt my lungs hold my breath when it finally reached my desk. Upon closer inspection, it was a crystal butterfly which I had often put in my hair. It had slipped from the back of my head during my planning of the upcoming Roy case during the day. I had no idea how Draco could've seen it. Somehow it had slipped my mind that Draco had gotten me the clip on our first date.

"I gave you that clip on our first date." he repeated as if reading my mind. I nodded. "Picking it out, I was dead terrified. You knew me as an arrogant ass who was more interested in being a jerk to people, and playing girls. I was afraid you would think my gift stupid." I smiled a little, remembering how I was surprised that night. It was the last thing I had expected getting because I was still trying to think at the time if the date was a joke. Harry had told me that if it turned out to be a joke then dish it right back to him. But no, Draco I knew was serious about the date the minute I met him outside the Gryffindor painting. When I had opened the box, there in the resturant, I was very taken aback. "The look on your face was worth it." he reached around in his pocket. "I think this will go nicely with it." He extended his arm to me with a smal box in it. I cautiously picked up the box and opened it. Inside was a silver band with a nice sized ruby as the center stone, honey colored topaz stones beside it. It was an engagement ring that was just our style, combining our traits into one.

"You have to be kidding me. Draco, you can't just do this after three years." I wanted to ask him if that ring was that box I had found in the bedside table but I held my tongue.

"I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm asking you that after tonight you look at that ring and think about whether you would like to see that or his on your finger." He took my fingers and wrapped it around the box till it closed. He directed my hand to the far corner of my desk and placed the box there. "Tell me about Weasel."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me about this courtship of yours." he said in a voice that hinted with disdain.

"Don't say it like that." I started. "It was about two years after we broke up and he invited me to lunch. I figured it would be a casual lunch but he told me he was interested in me. Always had been apparently and I hadn't seen it. So we started dating and here we are a year later with a proposal." He took this information in and processed it all.

"Do you love him?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you love him?" he repeated. I looked at him and I knew that I did love Ron only in a friendly way. Draco was the person I had given my entire heart to and I hadn't recovered any part of it. Even after three years. There was just this bond that Ron would never be able to reach with me. It couldn't be achieved with time or long conversations. Draco and I both knew the answer but I didn't want to admit it as truth. Then I would be acknowledging that I was leading Ron on and that I was settling. I would be letting Draco have the chance to hurt me all over again by tonight.

"Don't make me answer that." I pleaded.

"Say it." he said. "You don't really love him."

"He's one of my best friends, of course I love him. I could never love him the way I loved you." He groaned in frustration.

"Why can't you just admit the truth?"

"Because you dumped me in the rain on a random night after four years. The night after I find a ring box in your bedside table. I can't just let Ron go when I don't know if you're even worth the gamble." I paused and dared to ask, "Is that ring what was in the box I found?" He nodded.

"Yes, I planned on asking you to marry me."

"Then why didn't you? I never got an explaination of why you broke up with me, just a shattered heart. You get a ring for me and yet you turn and do the opposite. What the hell were you thinking?" I asked while a few tears escaped my eyes. Draco got up to try to comfort me but I stood up and stopped him. "No, don't. Start talking. I want to know why." Draco turned so that I couldn't see his face. After a while he turned around and pulled out his wand. He made the two chairs in front of my desk a couch and locked the office door.

"What are you doing Draco?" I asked him as he sat down on the couch. He motioned me over.

"If I explain this, I can't look at you. Just pretend that I'm reading to you from a book like we used to do."

"That's too dangerous." I said, knowing that sitting on the couch with him could turn into a disaster.

"Then you can just lay on the opposite side of me. You don't have to touch me at all. Just be near me. Just don't look at me." I looked at him and I knew he was being honest.

"Okay." I walked over to the couch. Draco chose his side, the far left. I went over to the far right side and laid down. My feet ended up on his knees but I bent them once I realized this. I curled up and hugged the pillow against my head.

"Okay. Tell me the story."


	3. 8:00PM to 10:00 PM

**A/N:** Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything of the Harry Potter brand.

* * *

I could still see myself as I was then. My hair was a bit longer with more curl to it. There was more youth to my face as I was only twenty then and barely breaking out of being a child. I didn't wear so many suits and I was merely consulting on the cases at the firm at the time. I knew magic law backwards and forwards, and I would help the lawyers build their cases and tell them if the evidence was admissible in court or where to look for clues. My day consisted of waking up at the mansion, having breakfast with Draco, consulting at the firm, writing some of the novel, coming home and having dinner with Draco, relaxing with him, and then go to sleep.

His hair was a bit shorter but always the piercing blonde color. He had more spark to his eyes because he always liked the challenge of a new day at the Brand. This was the time when the Brand was at its peak potential. It was him who wore the suits all the time. The best part of the day was coming home and us being together or possibly the weekends where we would stay in the mansion or travel around on mini holidays.

After graduation, I had moved in with Draco and I knew the house needed some life. Draco's father obviously was cold and didn't care much about decor and his mother had followed the same belief. Lucius had been convicted on various charges and died in prison during seventh year. Draco's mother followed suit soon after that summer. One day I mentioned that I would like to change a few things about the mansion and Draco gave me a blank check to go at it. Everything about the mansion showed the influence of me living with Draco. The silverware was silver but the napkins were red. Draco's already extensive library had be to doubled with my books. There was a candy dish in every room put in by me since Harry would send various samples from his travels. Of course Draco made them the finest quality crystal candy dish bowls. I planted colorful flowers in the garden where Draco had just kept it bare. Pictures of us littered almost any empty surface of the tables in the house. The house elves had their own house and were paid regularly with more bonuses than anyone would believe. The banister where Draco regular slid down had an emergency mechanism put in by me.

We had been together four years and we were completely in love, or at least I was. Instead of being Draco's flavor of the week as many had predicted we had become something so beautiful. Harry and Ron disapproved immediately and for a brief time isolated themselves from me. Eventually they came to their senses that Draco made me happy and that without me they weren't going to pass any of their classes. Draco and I did everything together in school and we continued to spend every free moment with each other after we moved in together. I believed at the time that eventually an engagement ring would come. Until then I was perfectly content and I believed I had found the man I would spend the rest of my life with. Then March 29th 2006 happened and my world was spun around until it broke. It had started out like any other normal day for us. We woke up beside each other.

"Good morning Granger." he said to me as he saw my eyes opening. I wanted to respond but yawned instead. "You're looking quite cute today." I laughed softly at his partial sarcasm.

"Granger? I thought we were quite past that." I raised an eyebrow. "Shall I call you Ferret from now on?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Never." I laughed a bit more. "You can call me Most Amazing though." Rolling my eyes at him, I smiled and pulled more of the covers to cover my shoulders which had gotten cold. Draco reached out and pulled me closer. Then I quickly realized something.

"I don't have to consult on any cases today. Are you able to take the day off?" Usually when I had a free day Draco would take the day off. Last time that had happened we spent the day in Paris wondering around. His response surprised me.

"I can't. I'm sorry. They need me in a meeting and if I'm not there they won't close the deal. I should be out of it by two though so I could get off work early. I'll come over here right after and we'll have dinner wherever you want. Literally wherever you want." He kissed my nose and I rested my head on his chest.

"Okay. I'll miss you a lot." I admitted. I always missed him more when I had nothing to do.

"I always miss you." he responded and hugged me. We laid like that for a time, I don't know how long. Then he realized the time and he had to go so he dressed and we had breakfast. After he left I found myself incredibly bored. The mansion didn't need touching up at all and my latest book purchase was resting comfortably in the library since I had finished it two nights ago. Maybe I would write a couple more pages of the book, I concluded after a minute, so I went upstairs to the bedside table where I usually kept a notepad and pen. Strangely they weren't there so naturally I opened the bedside table's drawer and I began to search. Right off the bat I found my pad but couldn't find a pen. Then I gasped when I came across a black velvet box. It was tiny so there was no mistaking that it contained a ring. Reaching for my wand, I tried to contact Ginny at the law office.

"Ginny Weasely." her voice sounded as her face appeared.

"Ginny, it's Hermione." I said, trying to keep my voice normal in volume, and her demeanor relaxed.

"Oh hey Hermione. No cases to consult today?"

"No, but look at what I found." I said excitedly, holding up the black box and Ginny's eyes became wide.

"If that looks like what I think it is then you are going to be very happy very soon!" she paused. "Merlin Hermione, you're going to be a bride!" her voice was full of happiness for me. I could tell she wanted to jump up and down but that wouldn't look appropriate where she was. She had to look like she was merely working, not finding out her best friend was getting married.

"He did tell me we would have dinner wherever I want tonight after this meeting he has. He couldn't get off work....wait he always gets off work. Could he be planning the proposal right now? He needed an excuse to get out of the house?" By thinking logically then it would take my mind off freaking out and being impatient for Draco to get home.

"Maybe he's going to do it tonight? I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!" Ginny promised. We chatted for a bit about what my wedding would be like and then she left to get back to work. I promised to give her an update tomorrow morning. I didn't know what to do with myself after Ginny and I stopped talking. Cleaning the mansion took up about two and a half hours and then I took a sleeping potion so that the rest of the time would fly by. Only when I woke up, it wasn't because Draco was shaking my shoulder. The loud boom of thunder startled me awake and then I realized the windows were dark with evening, not the afternoon sunlight Draco had promised to come home by. Instantly I knew something was very wrong. Reasoning that maybe Draco didn't want to bother me sleeping or that it was just the storm that made it look later then it actually was, I went to investigate. The time showed clearly it was seven o'clock and there was no trace of Draco. My mind instantly went into worried mode and I tried to contact Draco at his office but got no answer. This was completely unlike him and since the weather was getting more worse by the minute I couldn't physically go search for him. All I could do was wait and see what his explanation was. Eventually I fell asleep on the couch waiting. When I did wake up, Draco was sitting on the opposite couch. My hands ran through my hair and I asked,

"Where have you been?" He didn't answer my question, he merely said,

"We're not working." My head spun and I swore that I had misheard him. Shaking my head I questioned him.

"What? What are you saying?"

"I've been unhappy with us lately and I don't think we're going to go any farther." he simply said. "I've already moved your things to Ginny's." he continued despite my shocked face and my constant interruption of what he was saying.

"Why are you doing this? Can we talk this out or something?" He shook his head.

"No, I've made my decision." I looked into his eyes and knew he was serious. His eyes didn't hold the usual spark they had when he looked at me. I knew that he honestly wanted me to get out and that we were over. The tears falling down my face didn't change his mind. When I tried to get him to talk about why, he shut me down and he wasn't changed when I asked him if he was really going to just throw away the past four years. Completely shocked and rejected, I took my coat from his hands, put it on, and walked out into the now clear weather. It was still dark but I went to Ginny's where the last thing I remember is crying on her shoulder the entire night.

"I didn't go into work that day," Draco started. "I met with Pansy." I sucked in my breath and held it. "She had contacted me and said it was urgent that we meet. It seemed creditable so I agreed. I expected it to be short and then I would plan how I would propose to you later that night. But then when I was with Pansy, I ended up cheating on you. Probably it was a trap, now that I think back on it" I flinched slightly. Cheating was something I deplored and had on many occasions told Draco it was unacceptable in a relationship. "I knew that you would break up with me if you found out. Not only that but I ran into Ron while I was trying to figure out what had just happened. Seeing him, I realized you could do so much better than a man who cheats on you. Ron has adored you since day one, I used to be so cruel to you. I've always felt lucky to have you when you could've easily been with Ron. This seemed to prove it. I'm an arrogant ass who is only nice around you. You somehow found perfections within me and I wasn't worthy of you." I opened my eyes and let out my breath.

"Why didn't you tell me you felt that way? I didn't want Ron, I wanted you. I would've worked with it out with you about the cheating had you just explained the circumstances. It wasn't like you deliberately wanted to hurt me. Yes, I would've been hurt and I would've shut you out. But I would've come back to you because I wasn't going to throw away four years at the drop of a hat." I admitted to him, now looking at him dead in the eye. "Now you've just wasted three years. You stupid idiot." The tears were about to drop, I knew it. Turning my head away from him, I wiped them away with the back of my hand. I felt Draco put his head on my shoulder.

"Please don't cry. I can't stand to see you cry." he whispered as I met my eyes with his again. It was obvious that he was upset that he had caused me to such a hard time. Reaching out his hands he pulled me into his lap, which I didn't object to as I was trying to just breathe. If I was breathing then everything would be okay. He wrapped his arms around me.

"I sold my company so I could come here and win you back. I know I've caused you so much pain but I hope you believe I was only doing it because I thought you would be happier off with someone else. I know I can't just erase the last three years, all I'm asking is that you give me a chance. Give me tonight to make you change your mind." It was hard to resist his offer, there was so much history there. I wanted to know if Draco and I still had what made us work but at the same time I didn't want to potentially hurt Ron. I didn't want to hurt as well. Then again it was one night.

"Okay. You have tonight." I agreed and put my head in the crook of his neck. It still fit there as perfect as it did in the past. He kissed my head in graditude.

"Go pop back to your place and get changed. Nothing too fancy but not office attire. When you're ready meet me back here." I nodded, though puzzled at his somewhat strange request.

"What do you have in store?"

"That my dear is a surprise." I looked at him and I couldn't resist moving a piece of his hair back into piece. During this, he closed his eyes and when he opened them, they had back their usual warm feeling. He tried to move in a fraction but I untangled myself from him.

"I'll see you in a few." I said hastily. With a smile I popped back to my apartment and at first I couldn't move. Everything had happened in such a short span of time that my head was spinning. I sank to the floor. I knew I couldn't rely on Ginny, Harry, and especially Ron for help with the questions, doubts, and fears running through my head. This was all on me which after a few minutes seemed right since it was me and him that were in the relationship, not them. I was also being confronted with a difficult question at the same time: _What did I want? _Never in my life had I really thought about it. If anyone needed help on their schoolwork, I helped them no matter the time or conditions. I was dating Ron because everyone expected us to get together at some point. Even the books I checked out at Hogwarts were recommended to me, I didn't even look at one for a single second and think if I wanted to actually read this book. I always put everyone else before myself every minute of the day. At what consquences would follow if I dared to get what I wanted?

Realizing that a good chunk of time had passed, I picked myself up and walked to my room. Picking out a simple outfit of a shirt and jeans, I gave myself a once over and popped back to the office. At first, I only saw Draco, looking heartbreakingly good.

_Pick him._


End file.
